Children of Time, Christmas Minisode: The Night Before Christmas
by Wholmes Productions
Summary: The Doctor visits the trees on Christmas Eve. Oh dear, was someone listening for sleigh bells?
1. Mrs Christmas

**==Chapter One==**

**Mrs. Christmas**

_Santa, must I tease in vain, Dear? Let me go and hold the reindeer,  
While you clamber down the chimneys. Don't look savage as a Turk!  
Why should you have all the glory of the joyous Christmas story,  
And poor little Goody Santa Claus have nothing but the work?_

– Katherine Lee Bates, Goody Santa Claus

In the midst of the others chatting—well, specifically, Beth and the older Doctor getting to know each other, Eleven had let slip once that he and Beth were close—the younger Doctor slipped away downstairs. He had a landlady to visit.

He knocked softly on Sarah Hudson's door, and was rewarded with faint groaning, sleepy but baleful muttering, and creaking bed springs. "Who is it?" Sarah called blearily.

The Doctor grinned. "Father Christmas?"

Mrs. Hudson gasped, scrambling out of bed to open the door. "Doctor!" He hadn't changed a bit... well, maybe the eyes were a little older and sadder, but otherwise he looked just the same as when he'd kissed her goodbye.

He beamed. "In the flesh! Wanna see something neat?"

"...what, _now_? Doctor, it's the middle of the night, I-I'm not even dressed!"

"Well, get dressed if you want, but now's the best time— most everybody'll be asleep!"

Mrs. Hudson hesitated a moment longer, then ducked back into her room and hastily threw on a dressing gown and slippers over her nightdress. She tried in vain to suppress a giggle as she emerged, irresistibly reminded of when they'd broken into Madame Tussaud's. "Where are we going?"

He waggled his eyebrows. "To see some trees," he said mysteriously, resisting the urge to grin. "Come on, _allons-y_!" He took her hand and led her out the back door and to the TARDIS, then paused, remembering. "Ooo, you've haven't been inside yet, have you?" She would have been later, which was also earlier for him, unintentionally another case of his relationships being slightly out of order.

She shook her head, heart pounding – she was still having trouble wrapping her mind around the idea of a ship the size of a wardrobe being far bigger on the inside!

Feeling her pulse throb, he bent down a little and squeezed her hand. "Hey." He smiled reassuringly. "C'mon, you'll love this." He unlocked the door and pushed it open, drawing her inside. "Welcome, milady, to the Good Ship TARDIS."

Her mouth fell open, staring around in wonder. "Oh my..."

A new voice spoke up out of nowhere. "Isn't she absolutely _amazing_?"

The Doctor and Mrs. Hudson jumped, though the Doctor recognised the voice right away.

The Eleventh Doctor poked his head out from around the time rotor, grinning widely when he saw Sarah Hudson. "Mrs. H., hi!" He straightened and moved around the console.

"What're you doing here?!" Ten demanded.

"Well," Eleven drawled, unruffled, "being older has its privileges—_of course_, I remembered what I was going to do tonight."

Mrs. Hudson gaped at the two men – the younger-looking one was older still?! And yet, knowing everything that she did about the Doctor, it actually made a vague sort of sense...

Eleven halted in front of Sarah and took her hand, bowing over it and kissing it. He would have made more of a production out of it, but she needed to get to know this version of him first, and she didn't yet. "Sarah, you're looking well, lovely as always." _Younger_, he didn't say, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that he wanted to kiss her, properly, and he didn't dare.

"...thank you..." Mrs. Hudson blushed, sorely tempted to ask how it had happened, but the timing probably couldn't be worse, with the Doctor's younger self in the room!

Ten cleared his throat, stepping forward. "So, what happened to, 'What you get up to in the privacy of your regeneration is your business'?"

"It is. My business, too, though." Eleven gave his younger self a Cheshire grin.

"Hey, no takesies-backsies!"

Eleven raised his eyebrows. "_Really_, Mr. I-Don't-Know-Where-He-Gets-It-From?"

Mrs. Hudson looked at the ceiling speakingly. To think she'd hoped the days when she had to break up an argument between two grown men were over... and these were two versions of the _same_ man!

While Ten was still searching for words, Eleven returned his attention to Sarah, unfazed by her exasperation. "Anyway, I'll leave you to your adventure." Unable to resist, he bent down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "See you soon, Sarah."

Her blush deepened at the kiss, uncertain how to respond – the younger Doctor's face was a study just now. "...I suppose so..." she murmured, equally uncertain how she felt about that...

_Too fast. You took this too fast_. Eleven faltered for a moment, pulled himself back together, and nodded. "All right, then." He nodded to his younger self and strode over to the door. He didn't turn around as he said, "Have fun, you two!" He had an idea now how Kathy had felt, all those years ago, knowing her father and godfather without them knowing _her_. He closed the door behind him and walked away from his past.

Back in the TARDIS, Ten turned to Sarah with a sigh. "_Sorry_ about that!"

She shook her head, still bemused, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Does... that happen often, meeting yourself?"

He shrugged. "Wayeeell, not _often_, no." Certainly not as often as what he heard Kathy would _deliberately_ get up to. "Happens once or twice every few centuries. _Too_ often for me—I never get along with myself."

"I noticed." Mrs. Hudson sighed, wondering anew just what she'd gotten herself into, then shook her head, returning to more practical matters. "Well, then... you said something about trees?"

"Yup!" He went for the console, then remembered, glancing back at her, that this was her first trip. He drew her forward to place her hands on the console's handholds. "Just hold on to these, okay? I'll try to make this as smooth as possible, but it'll still be a little... rough." At the back of his mind, he heard the TARDIS chittering her laughter.

She nodded, bracing herself. "All right!"

Smiling nervously, he threw down the lever and hurried around the console, making a concentrated effort to give her a smooth trip… _Not half as smooth as I'd like!_ Fortunately, the ride was quickly over, and he offered her a sheepish smile after they'd landed. "Sorry about that. You okay?"

She gave a shaky but exhilarated laugh, putting a hand to her pounding heart. "Fine, Doctor! Never better!" So _that_ was what it was like!

He beamed, relieved, and took her hand. "Come on, then!" He stopped short, however, at the doors, and nodded for her to open them herself.

Mrs. Hudson held her breath, pushed the door open slowly, then blinked at the snow-covered scene before them: a group of hothouses? The Doctor had said 'trees', but she'd assumed he'd meant in a forest or something! "Where are we?" she whispered.

Grinning, he whispered back, "The Granville family estate in Hertfordshire…" He sniffed at the air, something not quite right… "Aaaand I'd say we've gone just a _little_ bit back in time – twenty-four hours or so, nothing to worry about!" Everybody knew Christmas Eve was the better night of the two, anyway. He offered her his arm. "Wanna see what your kids have been up to?"

They stepped out into the snow, and halted when they heard a gasp from around the corner of the nearest hothouse. The sound was immediately followed by a hissed "Shhh!" The Doctor shared a raised eyebrow with Sarah—those were definitely children's voices!

"Hello?" Mrs. Hudson called softly. "Is someone there?" The top half of a child's face appeared from behind the hothouse, wide eyes gleaming in the light from the TARDIS door. "Children? It's all right, don't be afraid. Please come here."

"Matthew?" the Doctor said gently. "Lavinia?"

A second face appeared, Lavinia's, eyes just as wide. "...Hello?

"Hello, Lavinia," Mrs. Hudson smiled, taking her cue from the Doctor. "I'm so sorry if we startled you. We only came to..."

Matthew gasped, coming out of hiding completely, mouth open. "_Mrs. Christmas?!_"

"Matthew!" Lavinia hissed, but after a closer look at both strangers, she was beginning to think that maybe they wouldn't be any trouble. The old woman made her think of Mama, a little, and the man... the man, strangely, reminded her of Mrs. Holmes, for some reason... She joined her brother in the open but with her hands on her hips—there had better be no funny business!

Meanwhile, Mrs. Hudson's mind was racing, realising what all of this must have looked like to a wide-eyed child on Christmas Eve: her white hair and dressing gown, a tall companion as slender as an elf, and a magical vessel whose sound on landing must have drawn children listening for sleigh bells like a magnet... Well... why not? She laughed delightedly, coming forward to shake hands. "How clever of you to guess, Matthew! It's a pleasure to meet you both."

Lavinia arched an eyebrow as she shook hands with great dignity, then turned to the Doctor. "So who are you, then?"

The Doctor stepped forward, grinning, hands in his pockets, making an effort to be as non-threatening as possible. "Ohhh, I'm one of the senior elves, me—get to drive the _other_ sleigh over there. Nice to meet you!" He shook the children's hands as well.

"My husband Nicholas has told me so much about you, my dears, and how very kind you've been to the trees," Mrs. Hudson went on warmly, heartily wishing that the Doctor had just _told_ her what was so special about them! "I simply had to come in person to thank you on his behalf. May we see them?"

Lavinia still hesitated, eyes on the Doctor. "I'm not sure..."

Matthew, who had been looking increasingly starry-eyed at 'Mrs. Christmas's kind words, came out of his reverie and elbowed his sister. "Yes, but you've got to be _very_ quiet –" he answered sternly, Lavinia endorsing the instruction with an emphatic nod; "the babies are sleeping."

Babies? Concealing any bewilderment, Mrs. Hudson nodded solemnly. "Of course."

Lavinia sighed and motioned for the adults to follow. "Come along, then."

* * *

**Ria: **Something we didn't think of while writing the Christmas episode: 'Ent' is a very humanoid sounding word, a plant race would definitely have a name more suited to their own language. Luckily for us, Tolkien put a lot of thought into that question! From the wikipedia page:

'Huorn is the name in the "short-language" of the Ents, given because the Huorns "still have voices". It includes the Sindarin noun _orn_ which means "tree". The meaning of the _hu_ element is unknown, Tolkien himself seemed unsure. In the Huorn entry in a wordlist published in Parma Eldalamberon Tolkien gives the possible Sindarin roots _hô_, _hyoba_ and _hû_. The description of _hô_ could be interpreted "speak, show" which would correspond with the earlier names for Huorns in The War of the Ring which all meant "talking trees".'

Tolkien suggested that Huorns were trees that became _Entish_, able to speak intelligibly to Ents but not other races. Old Man Willow in 'The Fellowship of the Ring' was probably a Huorn, so we decided our tree mother should also be the same species. Gotta wonder if, in this verse, Tolkien might have actually met one!


	2. Heart of the Forest

**==Chapter Two==**

**Heart of the Forest**

_It's funny, isn't it? One can't imagine being a forest, then suddenly one can._

Following the Granville children inside the hothouse, Mrs. Hudson couldn't see much at first in the dark, raising her eyebrows at what appeared at first glance to be a large, leafless oak growing in the middle of the floor... then gaped as the 'tree' roused from sleep at their approach, face becoming visible, arm limbs lowering.

The Doctor put a comforting hand on Sarah's shoulder, then stepped around her so that he was first in the Huorn's line of vision. It had been a long time since he had done this, he hoped he could get it right enough… He raised both arms into the air and began to wave them around, mimicking the Huorns' greeting pattern of gestures as best he could with two flesh-and-blood limbs.

The Huorn's eyes widened in surprise. She returned the gestures, much more deftly and gracefully, then bowed deeply.

The Doctor smiled solemnly and echoed the bow.

"Oh my goodness..." Mrs. Hudson breathed, entranced, then recollected herself and bowed as well.

"Greetings, Heart of the Forest," the Doctor whispered. "Our apologies for disturbing your rest."

The young mother straightened, smiling. There was only one person like the earth-herders who would know not only her language but also the proper terms of address. _Greetings, world-herder_, she rustled back softly. _The land has missed you._

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Oh, you've heard of me, then? I'm honoured." He beckoned his companion to step forward. "This is Sarah; she takes care of the life-mates who helped your family, the ones who can speak with you."

"Heart of the Forest," Mrs. Hudson murmured, "I am delighted to meet you." And now she could see the slumbering seedlings, clustered around their mother, her heart melting at the sight. "Oh, what beautiful babies!"

The tree woman smiled proudly, bending tenderly over her young 'forest'. _Their bark will be grown by the Newgreen, good mother, thanks to your saplings. Are they well?_

Mrs. Hudson's brow furrowed for a moment, then smiled as she worked it out. "Very well, thank you. They..." She tried to think of something suitably tree-like to say. "They grow straight and strong now in the winter wind."

The Huorn nodded in satisfaction. _That is good._ She looked behind the pair to where Matthew and Lavinia were standing by the door, tutting in fond disapproval. _And these two seedlings should return to **their** nursery, the night is cold._

The children evidently didn't need to speak Tree to understand the Huorn's body language; Lavinia smiled apologetically, beckoning to the adults. "All right, Mrs. Tree, good night!" "Sleep tight!"

The Doctor and Mrs. Hudson bowed again, then let the children escort them back out and close the hothouse door softly after them.

Mrs. Hudson turned to Matthew and Lavinia, beaming. "Thank you ever so much, my dears!"

Lavinia couldn't help smiling back along with her brother — 'Mrs. Christmas' was so nice!

The Doctor nodded. "Those seedlings are very precious," he murmured. "You kids are very good to take care of them."

"Yes indeed." Mrs. Hudson's smile turned regretful. "But Mrs. Tree is perfectly right: you shouldn't be out of bed so late, and we ought to be getting back."

"Oh, must we?" the Doctor wheedled. "I was hoping to show them the TA—I mean, the sleigh!" He so rarely got the chance to show off the TARDIS to children, and they were the best audiences for it!

There was a twin gasp from the children. "Can we?!" "_Please?_"

Mrs. Hudson hesitated, but _three_ puppy-eyed looks were just too much – besides, the children had already proved themselves adept at keeping secrets. "Very well, then."

The Doctor grinned. "Brilliant! Come on!" He took the children's hands and led them to the TARDIS door, then paused, eyes twinkling. "Oh, and children? We should warn you... the, ah, sleigh is a _lot_ bigger inside than it looks." He opened the door with a flourish. "_Voila_!"

"Wow!" shouted Matthew.

"Look!" Lavinia cried, seeing the coral branches, "it's just like a treehouse!"

The pair ran inside and up the ramp, gazing at the console and column admiringly, pointing excitedly at all the exotic-looking controls.

Mrs. Hudson shared a wondering look with the Doctor – the children didn't seem in the least surprised at the TARDIS's size!

"Weeeelll," the Doctor said quietly, "talking trees… I suppose bigger-on-the-inside isn't that big a leap."

He jogged up the ramp ahead of her and joined the children, laughing at their delight and all their questions, even answering a few of them when he could get a word in. That handle was for speed and that lever was to stop and he wasn't really sure about that dial but it must do _something_… He pointed out the broken chameleon circuit, explaining that this sleigh was in for repairs, they only borrowed it from the North Pole's workshop to come here. At least in the dark, it didn't matter so much if the sleigh looked like a box.

"And is Father Christmas's sleigh like this on the inside, too?" Matthew asked eagerly.

"Of course it is, silly!" Lavinia rolled her eyes. "How else would he get all the toys in?"

"I knew _that_!"

Seeing the Doctor starting to look thoughtful, Mrs. Hudson put in hastily, "Speaking of toys..." She wracked her brain for a reasonably harmless gift. "As a reward for all your hard work in looking after the trees, children, a ride in the sleigh shall be your present." As the children cheered, she murmured to the Doctor, "And you, Doctor, will remain firmly _in_ the present, understood?"

The Doctor's eyes widened—he could well understand how she managed to wrangle Sherlock Holmes all these years—and he nodded hastily. "Don't worry, the old girl can fly through physical space."

The TARDIS beeped resignedly—she _could_, but it was never _easy_, the poor thing.

* * *

The Doctor coaxed the TARDIS slowly and carefully into the air as their passengers watched from seatbelted positions on the jumpseat. They had to crane their necks to see around the console out the open doors, and the Doctor made sure that their troubles were worth it. The TARDIS glided gently above the trees, much to the delight of the children, and alongside a flock of geese for a few seconds before the geese were too spooked by a flying crate and turned in a different direction. For a moment, the Doctor dared to glance away from his task and at Sarah, and her eyes were as alight as the children's.

The TARDIS wobbled as she slowed to a landing in front of the house (rather than in the back again, so as not to risk waking the seedlings a second time). She ploughed a long, deep groove in the snow, which ended in a wheelbarrow being knocked over, rather loudly. The Doctor looked at Sarah, eyes wide. "Oops."

"Oh dear..." Mrs. Hudson hastily unbuckled herself and the children as lights started to come on upstairs, she and the Doctor escorting them to the door. "Children, I'm so sorry, but it is time for us to go now. Can you slip back to bed unnoticed?"

Lavinia grimaced doubtfully, then grinned at a sudden idea. "Don't worry, Mrs. Christmas, we'll be all right! And thank you _so_ much for the sleigh ride!"

Matthew nodded tearfully, then flung his arms around Mrs. Hudson, sniffing. "Will we ever see you again?"

Mrs. Hudson hugged him back and kissed his cheek. "Dear boy... I do hope so." Although she hoped it would be later rather than sooner – there was always the chance he might turn up at Baker Street one day!

"I'm sure we'll be around," the Doctor soothed. "You've got a lot of seedlings to look after, after all—you might want some help with that someday." He winked at the little boy, touched by his sweetness.

Matthew grinned back, Lavinia took his hand, and they stepped out of the TARDIS.

"Goodbye, Mrs. Christmas!" Matthew called, waving furiously.

Lavinia waved more sedately, murmuring, "Goodbye, Mr. Merlin..." then covered her mouth with her hand, turning pink.

The Doctor's eyes went wide again—how could she possibly know that?! Then he realised: Beth. _She saw more in those memories than I meant her to_… And Lavinia, the big sister, had been playing along for her brother's sake this whole time. He flashed her a grin and a nod. "Take care, you two, and Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!" the children chimed.

The Doctor took Sarah's hand and hurried her back to the console, taking care to lift off and fly out of sight before dematerializing.

* * *

Matthew let out a long, frosty breath once the blue box was out of sight, still starry-eyed. "...wow..."

Just then, the front door opened and Lord Granville came out in dressing gown and slippers, his wife behind him, accompanied by a hastily-robed maid bearing a lantern. "Matthew! Lavinia! You naughty children, whatever are you doing out here, you'll catch your deaths!"

Lavinia nudged Matthew, and the pair hung their heads guiltily. "We're very sorry, Papa... We didn't mean to wake anyone!" Lavinia pointed at the long groove in the snow left beside the overturned barrow and spades. "We just wanted everyone to believe in Father Christmas again!"

Harriet Granville had to press her lips together to keep from smiling. "Oh my dears! Well, thank goodness you didn't try it on the roof!" She looked at her husband meaningfully – the children hadn't meant any harm.

Granville was having a hard time not smiling himself. "Very well... If there are no more pranks tonight, we'll say no more about it." Sternly, "Now, back to bed with you, and straight to sleep, or Father Christmas won't come at all!"

And two tired children smothered a giggle as they headed inside and upstairs, while outside the snow began to fall again, filling in any suspicious extra footprints...

* * *

When the TARDIS was safely back in the Time Vortex, she had barely started before she landed again, back in the right day and at the back of 221B. The Doctor turned to Sarah, beaming. "So, whaddaya think?"

She returned the smile, but answered slowly, "I think... I may need to sit down again." Now that this first trip was over, and she had time to process everything! But she was starting to understand why her lodgers had been away for so long – travelling like this _was_ addictive.

Concerned, the Doctor took her back to the jumpseat and sat down with her. "Are you all right?"

Mrs. Hudson rested her head on his shoulder, thrilling at being able to do that again. "I am now…" Having this quiet, tender moment together was even more wonderful than whizzing around Time and Space.

The Doctor blinked—he'd been back to 221B between the wedding and now, in their future and his past, and he still forgot that quiet moments of affection meant more to Sarah than any sort of adventure he could try to give her. Not to mention the whole physical affection thing—he still wasn't great at that. He made an effort, though, and put his arm around her, trying to relax. "Should I cancel the reservation for supper, then?" he murmured teasingly.

She looked up at him, wide-eyed – he had _more_ planned?

He managed to blush ever so slightly at her surprise. "What? It's Christmas."

She kissed his cheek, chuckling – she'd never seen him turn pink before. "I'd love to."

* * *

The Doctor took Mrs. Hudson's hand excitedly when they landed, stepping out into a white corridor, so clean that it gleamed. At the end of it, intersecting with another corridor, was a long, large window, which the Doctor silently led her towards. As they came closer, the view outside showed a glittering city and a black sky full of stars beyond, far more than could possibly be seen from Earth on the clearest night.

Mrs. Hudson's mouth fell open as the scene revealed itself, eyes glistening. Even with everything the Doctor had told her about his travels, she could never have imagined something so outlandishly beautiful, it was like something out of a Jules Verne story. "Where...?" she whispered.

The Doctor beamed, excited to be sharing this with her, her first time off-planet. "The Moon."

"...the Moon... of course..." Her brow furrowed as she noticed the Earth wasn't visible yet – and that was a stunning thought in itself: seeing the _Earth_ rise from the _Moon_…

He gave her arm a squeeze and grinned. "C'mon, you're gonna love this." He led her down the new corridor to the closed door at the end of it, before which was a desk, and the _maître d'_ behind it, a Japanese woman, Akiko (the Doctor hadn't caught her family name when he'd been here last).

Akiko smiled as the couple approached. "Doctor, you're back!"

The Doctor smiled the smile of someone who was satisfied with a job well-done—namely, saving this place from an infestation before bringing Sarah here—and was ready to kick back and enjoy himself. "Yes, I am, and we're ready for our table now."

Akiko nodded. "Right this way, please." She stepped over to the door, which opened automatically onto a dining room, the most expensive and exclusive on the Moon.

Mrs. Hudson had seen and done a great many strange things in her life, even before the Doctor first came to call, but this opulent setting still caused her to hesitate, smoothing her hands down her robe.

The Doctor noticed and frowned. "Something wrong?" he murmured.

"Oh no, it's nothing..." she started to say automatically, then saw his expression and chided herself. "Well, I... I'm hardly dressed for fine dining..." Her lips twitched as she realised the absurdity of what she'd just said – she was about to be wined and dined _on the Moon, by an alien_, and she was worried about a dress code?!

He grinned. "Look around you, Sarah. I promise no one thinks you're dressed oddly." Not when so many of the outfits here would be considered bizarre and outlandish by Victorian standards!

Mrs. Hudson nodded, grinning back as she took his arm again. Most of the diners here were certainly wearing nothing like she'd ever seen – in fact, some of it could barely be called clothing... She averted her eyes, blush returning – it was none of her business if they caught their deaths of cold!

The Doctor chuckled. "Oi, eyes forward." She wasn't going to want to miss the big reveal…

The _maître d'_ stopped in front of a table, the one closest to an even bigger viewport than before, showcasing the Moon stretching to its own horizon, and beyond it: Earth.

Mrs. Hudson unconsciously tightened her hold on the Doctor's arm, speechless. Such vivid blues and greens, bathed in sunlight or wreathed in lacy clouds... and where the sun didn't touch, she could still see the shapes of the continents bejewelled with millions of tiny lights, twinkling like the stars... A popping sound pulled her out of her reverie, and she found herself already sitting at the table, the Doctor seating himself opposite while a waiter poured glasses of wine. "I'm sorry!" Shaking her head at herself, she picked up the menu.

The Doctor shook his head in return, smiling in delight. "It's okay," he murmured. "You should see your eyes, when you're seeing something new, and it's like it's the most amazing thing you've ever seen…" He always loved having new friends to impress—that was a high to be reckoned with—and Sarah was reacting just like he'd hoped she would… But it wasn't only that this time.

Was it because she asked for so little from him that he wanted to give her so much more?

He was already wondering what to show her next; he didn't want this night to end any more than she did, surely he could convince her to take _one_ last trip before going home… He picked up his own menu, purposefully injecting his usual cheekiness back into his voice. "Now, you've absolutely gotta try the guava jalapeño cheese tart—it's fabulous!"

"I'll have to trust your judgement on that!" she laughed, but with her heart aching at the look in the Doctor's eyes, a sad, sweet pain that would never really fade. That moment had been the nearest he'd ever come to _saying_ 'I love you'... and the nearest he ever would.

The Doctor brightened. "Ooo, famous last words!" He turned to the waiter. "Okay, we'll have two of those with side salads, and…" He scanned the dessert menu. "Ooh yes, the banana parfait with brandy cream looks good."

The waiter took the menus and retreated with a bow, while Mrs. Hudson raised her wine glass, smiling in anticipation. "Merry Christmas, Doctor." Was it Christmas in this time and place? She didn't much care, to be honest.

He picked up his glass and touched it to hers, but before he could say anything in return… A strange, high-pitched moan came floating across the room, more of a howl…

The Doctor groaned. "Oh, that's not fair!" Why couldn't he get this _one_ dinner?! "I already took care of an infestation here before we came!"

"What is it?" Mrs. Hudson frowned, half-rising from her chair and looking around. That didn't sound like any creature _she'd_ ever heard!

"I don't know," the Doctor frowned, rising from his own seat. He winced at the sound of terrified screams from outside the restaurant as the howling—definitely howling, and artificial to boot, he thought—got louder, the other patrons starting to panic and mill around like humans always did in an emergency. He smiled apologetically at the wide-eyed waiter. "We'll have to take a rain check, sorry." Turning back to Sarah, he offered his hand. "Care to find out?"

Sarah Hudson sighed, arching a pointed eyebrow at the sheepish Time Lord – was this always going to happen around him? Then she grinned, took his hand, and pulled him into a kiss. The hell with it... "Lead on, Doctor."

* * *

**Ria:** And so it begins... One of the many reasons, we think, that the Doctor enjoys Sarah Hudson's company is because she's a lot more _restful_ than many of his other companions. Spending a lifetime in an era with very few modern conveniences has given her a deep level of patience and serenity that many of his other companions just haven't achieved yet – she expects things to take a long time (ie a laundry or baking day that actually lasts all day), in a way that Rose, Martha, or even Holmes and Watson just don't. We suspect the Doctor feels so old at times partly because he's spent so much time around humans, particularly young ones; but he and Mrs. Hudson are both approximately middle-aged for their species, and thus have more of a similar perspective on life.

Woohoo, we FINALLY finished Season 1! Many thanks to everyone who's reviewed, or just followed/favourited, we appreciate all the support we've gotten. Stay tuned, cos Season 2 posts will be starting soon!


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